On the other hand, San Beda would be remembered for figures such as Caloy Loyzaga, Ato Badolato, Yousif Aljamal, Sam Ekwe, Pong Escobal, Ogie Menor, and as being the homestead of many other players who made their mark as a Red Cub but never did grow to become a Red Lion.
Fast forward to this year: After winning their recent match-ups before facing each other this Wednesday, coaches Frankie Lim of San Beda and Louie Alas of Letran did not seem to care that they would face their tormentor next. But deep inside them is a longing to get back at each other for what one has done to the other in the past few years they have crossed paths in the oldest collegiate conference in the country.
How the rivalry was formed
Part of the "Old Timer Six" (San Beda, Letran College, Ateneo de Manila, De La Salle, Jose Rizal College, Mapua Institute of Technology) of the NCAA and two of the four remaining members of the club, these schools first met in the championship round of 1950.
The Knights, who paraded a legendary lineup that was touted as "Murder, Inc." since they played a merciless brand of basketball that razed through the opposition, were on the verge of sweeping the season and automatically capturing the championship. However, they fell to an upset-minded San Beda squad that would eventually topple in the deciding game that would hand them the hardware.
They would never face one another again in the championship round, but they made names of their own by winning multiple championships in the succeeding decades. San Beda's seniors basketball program fell onto hard times after last winning the championship in 1978, while the Knights would remain contenders for decades after.
The 2000s: Lions struggle, Knights on top
The Muralla-based squad of Coach Alas has been consistently in the Final Four of the NCAA since his return to the bench in 2003. The Knights were led by the likes of former Letran Squire Boyet Bautista, Aaron Aban, and Ronjay Enrile. They won two titles in their three appearances in the championship round, the latest one during Season 81 in 2005.
On the flip side, the San Beda Red Lions failed to make it into the Final Four until 2004, but would eventually succumb to Perpetual after winning the first game of their semi-final series with the Altas holding a twice-to-beat advantage. The Lions would not make it again to the Final Four until their return to prominence in Season 82, where they captured the title against Philippine Christian University, behind Nigerian big man Sam Ekwe and Finals MVP Yousif Aljamal.
By this time, the Letran Knights have amassed a total of 16 men's basketball titles, while the San Beda Red Lions trail behind with 12 championships.
2007: The rivalry reignited
In the NCAA's 83rd season, league-leading San Beda entered their final first round game against second place Letran with an unblemished 6-0 card. The Red Lions led most of the way, but it was a late surge by the Knights that gave them the win. Eventually, the Red Lions swept through the rest of the second round, including a convincing win against the Knights in their rematch inside a sold-out Araneta Coliseum, where supporters from both sides engaged in a brawl near the south tunnel leading to the court.
In the Final Four, both teams easily disposed of their assignments and arranged a title showdown that had been 57 years in the making. The Red Lions, despite the legal controversy surrounding Yousif Aljamal and his application to take part in the PBA draft, eventually swept through the Knights for their second consecutive championship.
The Mendiola five captured another crown in the following year, but was swept by the San Sebastian Golden Stags in the final round of Season 85. Now, Letran has the most number of seniors titles with 16, while San Beda is not too far behind with 14. That number makes up 30 of the 51 titles from the current active members in the league, which is comparable to the dominance of the Boston Celtics and the Los Angeles Lakers in the National Basketball Association (NBA).
2008-Present: Shadow of the NCAA's violent past
The two teams have not faced each other in the final round since Season 83, but their matchups proved to be the top crowd drawer in the season until the recent resurgence of the San Sebastian Golden Stags. Unfortunately, uncontrolled melees end the contests, though they are not as intense as those that marred the league in the 1970s.
The most recent example of such violence occuring was their first round encounter in Season 85 at the Filoil Flying V Arena, where Toffer Alas pushed Sudan Daniel before the final buzzer sounded on the Red Lions' five-point victory, starting a free-for-all where both sides pelted debris onto the playing court. This prompted the city's mayor to enforce a strict code of conduct in the playing venue for both the patrons and athletes thereafter.
In a sign of things to come, a recent Filoil Flying V-Tanduay First Five Pre-season Invitational Cup game between these two squads ended with Letran abandoning the game in the third period due to a disagreement on Kevin Alas' fifth and final foul on a Garvo Lanete three-point play, with a near-bench clearing brawl errupting. Letran head coach Alas threw the ball in the air and got ejected, alongside San Beda assistant coach Ed Cordero, which triggered a Letran walkout from the contest.
With these two teams going in separate directions entering their most awaited contest, San Beda on a three-game run and Letran earning their first victory after struggling in their first two contests, it's not in statistics but in the hearts and minds of the contestants that this rivalry keeps burning.
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